eBulletin – May 18, 2016

After 18 months in pre-trial detention in France for a crime he did not commit, a French judge released Dr. Hassan Diab on bail on May 14, 2016.

The prosecutor has filed an appeal of Hassan’s release, which will be heard by an appeal court early next week. His French lawyer, Mr. William Bourdon, said Hassan will be in court for next week’s appeal, effectively negating the prosecution grounds for returning him to jail.

Mr. Bourdon said, “He [Hassan] will be present at the next hearing so this will prove to the court of appeal that he never intended to flee, as was the case in the whole extradition procedure in Canada.”

In 2011, when the Canadian extradition judge ruled in favor of extradition, he described the evidence as “very problematic” and “suspect”. In an unprecedented move, the Canadian judge stated that “the prospects of conviction in the context of a fair trial seem unlikely”. However the judge said that he felt obliged under Canada’s extradition law to commit Hassan to extradition.

Hassan and his family express their sincere gratitude to their friends and supporters who have stood by them since his ordeal began in Canada in 2008.